Recent market analysis reports indicate United States sales reaching as much as $100 billion in Cannabis and cannabinoid-based products in ten (10) years.
This year US Federal government is growing the largest crop of research in five years, responding to interest in varieties with high levels of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD). The crop will be divided between high THC and high CBD varieties, with recent interest in CBD as a potential medicine for a number of medical conditions. THC is the main psychoactive compound in marijuana that gives the high sensation, while CBD lacks psychoactive activity.
Whole plant oil derived from the Cannabis plant, on the other hand, is made from the buds/flower of the female marijuana plant and is comprised of many different cannabinoids including THC, CBD, CBN, and more, in addition to terpenes and other compounds. Whole-plant Cannabis oil is not the same as “hemp seed oil.” Hemp seed oil is a cold-pressed oil made from the seeds of the hemp plant. It is rich with essential fatty oils and is used mostly for its nutritional benefits and can be bought in health food stores.
Cannabis concentrates, commonly referred to as Cannabis extracts, are significantly more potent than your standard Cannabis buds. Their applications as medicine have proven to be effective for patients suffering from all sorts of ailments. When made properly, a Cannabis concentrate is reminiscent of the Cannabis strain it was extracted from; the smell, taste, and effects are simply magnified due to a larger concentration by weight.
U.S. Pat. No. 9,034,395 (Whittle et al.) teaches a process for preparing an extract from a natural product which comprises contacting the natural product with a heated gas at a temperature which is greater than 100° C. and sufficient to volatilize one or more constituents of the natural product but does not cause pyrolysis of the natural product thereby volatizing one or more constituents of the natural product to form a vapor, and condensing the vapor to form an extract. U.S. Pat. No. 9,358,259 (Hospodor et al.) teaches a system for recycling a liquid solvent in the solvent extraction of cannabinoids from a Cannabis biomass. U.S. Pat. No. 9,937,218 (Towle) teaches a process for purifying Cannabis by extracting crude Cannabis with ethyl acetate to yield a Cannabis extract; dewatering the Cannabis extract, consisting essentially of contacting the Cannabis extract with a solid dewa-tering agent selected from the group consisting of sodium sulfate, magnesium sulfate and silica; filtering the extract from the solid dewatering agent to yield a dewatered extract; and distilling the dewatered extract to remove a majority of the ethyl acetate, thereby creating the purified Cannabis extract. US Patent Publication 2004/0147767 teaches a process for preparing an extract from a natural product which comprises contacting the natural product with a heated gas at a temperature which is greater than 100° C. and sufficient to volatilize one or more constituents of the natural product but does not cause pyrolysis of the natural product thereby volatizing one or more constituents of the natural product to form a vapor, and condensing the vapor to form an extract. US Patent Publication 2018/0078874 teaches a method of extraction of plant oils from plant material by contacting the plant material with a heated gas and/or heated surface of a specific temperature such that the oils contained within the plant material are caused to volatilize and leave the plant material in the form of a vapor, which is condensed and collected using a collection solvent, preferably ethanol or a mixture of ethanol and water, and separating the captured plant oils from the collection solvent to obtain a substantially purified plant oil extract. US Patent Publication 2019/0077781 teaches a process for obtaining a cannabinoid extract from Cannabis plant material comprising providing a dispersion of material comprising cannabinoids derived from one or more Cannabis plants in an oil, and isolating at least a portion of said cannabinoids from said dispersion to obtain a cannabinoid extract. The disclosures of U.S. Pat. Nos. 9,034,395, 9,358,259, and 9,937,218, and US Patent Publications 2004/0147767, 2018/0078874, and 2019/0077781, are incorporated by reference in their entireties.
A focus of the present invention relates to an improved apparatus and process, for extracting active elements from Cannabis and hemp plant (biomass) material, to improve the purity and homogeneity, and to effect and control the active levels to meet broader market needs while addressing current and future legal and regulatory requirements.